Tag Archives: Spiritual Growth

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:17-18

In the previous verses, Paul introduced three names, two that had deserted him, and one that was very loyal. That one was Onesiphorus. In today’s passage, Paul elaborates on this one man’s faithfulness.

You can see the verses for yourself in 2 Timothy 1:17-18:

2 Timothy 1:17-18

Once again, this seems to be a bit of trivial information for Paul to bring up, but there is much we can glean from these few verses inserted at the end of the first chapter.

As Paul was writing to Timothy, he was in Rome, and in prison. Visiting a Roman prisoner wasn’t an easy thing to do. And Paul gives credit to Onesiphorus for searching high and low until he found Paul. This conveys the idea that Paul might not have been in a public prison, and finding him wasn’t a simple matter. However, his value to Paul didn’t stem from just this. The last phrase of our passage for this week reminds Timothy of just how helpful Onesiphorus was in Ephesus as well.

Upon closer examination of these verses, paired with last week’s passage, we can see a few things that shed light upon this man. One such item is that Onesiphorus may well have been dead when Paul wrote this letter. This is indicated by Paul’s phrase “show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus” in verse 16, rather than “show mercy to Onesiphorus and his household,” as it should have been phrased. Paul began by asking the Lord for present mercy on the household (verse 16), and future mercy for Onesiphorus himself, “on that day.” This suggests that Onesiphorus had passed away.

The phrase “that day” can only refer to the second coming, and seems to cement the conclusion that Onesiphorus was dead. There is no other reason for Paul to request that Onesiphorus find mercy at the end.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:15-16

In last week’s passage, Paul instructed Timothy to “guard the good deposit.” But just what does that mean? In order to demonstrate to Timothy what he is referring to, Paul gives two examples of those who haven’t kept the faith, followed by an example of one who has.

Take a look at this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 1:15-16:

2 Timothy 1:15-16

This seems like a trivial piece of Paul’s letter to Timothy. It sounds a bit personal, and Paul mentions names of people that we don’t know much about. The temptation is to pass over it, paying little attention to it.

But that would be a mistake.  There is much we can learn from this seemingly insignificant passage.

There are two lines of thought concerning this passage. There are some that think this paragraph and the following should be connected with chapter one. This is where our Bibles place it. It gives examples of a couple of men who were ashamed of the gospel and of Paul, and the example of one who was not. If this is the correct assumption, then Paul is explaining to Timothy why it is so critical that he keep the good deposit.

On the other hand, some think that this should be placed with the first few verses of chapter two. Since others in the faith have walked away from it, with the exception of one man, then Paul is encouraging Timothy to stay strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Either way, we are faced with the fact that this passage raises a few questions. Let’s take a look at a few of the more obvious ones.

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The Purpose Of Prayer (ESD)

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One of the most important aspects of the spiritual life is centered around the discipline of prayer.

Prayer is an essential part of the inner life because it is an integral part of communication, and communion, with the Father. We receive our communication from God through his Word and other means. But our communication back to God comes through the medium of prayer.

Prayer is more than just talking with God. All too often, we have a misconception that our prayers to God should be like a heavenly vending machine. We submit our requests and sit back and wait for the answers to pop out.

Man Praying

That’s not what prayer is about.

Prayer is much richer and deeper than we can possibly realize. In the next few paragraphs, I want to share something of the importance of prayer. This topic is so critical that books have been written about it, and there are many excellent ones to research. One of my favorite resources is The Complete Works Of E. M. Bounds On Prayer. Of all the works on prayer that I’ve read, this one impacted my life more than any other. If you want to read it, I highly recommend it.

There are scores of examples of prayer throughout the Bible, and dozens of passages that give us a glimpse of what prayer is. Prayer is powerful. Prayer is communication. Prayer is effective. Prayer is asking. Prayer is listening. Prayer changes God’s mind. Prayer is an essential part of the life of the believer.

But there are four main aspects that I think are helpful to remember about prayer. These describe prayer quite accurately, but not completely. Prayer is each of these four things. But prayer is also so much more than just these four things as well.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:13-14

So far, in 2 Timothy 1, Paul has encouraged Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, and to join with him in suffering for the gospel. However, this isn’t enough. Paul has further instruction for Timothy to pay attention to.

You can see if for yourself in 2 Timothy 1:13-14:

2 Timothy 1:13-14

Paul now tells Timothy that he must keep in the forefront of his mind the apostolic pattern, the standard, of sound teaching as he teaches others.

A couple of insights into the phrases Paul uses may be helpful.

  • Sound teaching – This term conveys the idea of “healthy” teaching, and parallels with 1 Timothy 1:10.
  • Pattern – This is a term used to signify an outline, a sketch, much like an architectural draft.

The point that Paul is making is that Timothy preach and spread the same message that he received from Paul. Paul’s concern here is valid, because just like a photo copier, a copy of a copy of a copy soon looks nothing like the original. Paul wants the message of the gospel to endure with little or no change.

This alludes to the doctrine of inerrancy. This is the idea that the Scriptures contain God’s message to man, and in its original manuscripts, contains no errors and is completely accurate. Closely aligned with that is the idea of infallability, what the Bible says regarding matters of faith is wholly useful and true, again without error.

And, thanks to God’s involvement, the Scriptures we have today reflect very few errors or mistakes compared to the earliest manuscripts found to date. There may be the occasional copyist error, but these are almost all found in incidental texts, and rarely in any passage that is foundational for any doctrine.

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Book Review – Romans 1-7 For You by Timothy Keller

Romans 1-7 For YouI have always been slightly intimidated by Paul’s letter to the Romans.

This is one of Paul’s longer letters, and frankly, it’s deep. It’s one of those books in the Bible that you have to read very carefully, or else you’ll miss something. And the chances are good that you’ll miss something anyway.

I have several commentaries on my shelf on the book of Romans for this very reason. Tow of my favorites are the College Press commentary on Romans, by Jack Cottrell, and the IVP commentary by Leon Morris. Both of these have helped me immensely as I strive to understand Romans.

But now, there is a third favorite on my shelf. Romans 1-7 For You by Timothy Keller is an incredible resource. Rather than just breaking down the text, like a commentary does, this series gives you the opportunity to really dig in and understand what this passage is saying, and then gives several ways to fit this into my life today.

The Good Book Company has started releasing several of the commentaries in this series. So far, I’ve read Galatians For You and Judges For You, both also by Keller. And Romans 1-7 For You continues the standard of excellence found in the rest of the series.

Although only covering the first half of the letter to the Romans, Keller takes a book that conveys the deep, theological truths of the faith, and explains it in a fashion that almost anyone can understand. That makes this series a great resource for not just ministers, but for teachers, for youth leaders, and for those just doing an individual study of the Bible.

Romans 1-7 For You is another excellent resource, full of easy to understand explanations of some of the deepest passages of the New Testament. I jumped at the chance to add this to my shelf,and can’t wait for the other half to be released.

I highly recommend that you grab a copy of Romans 1-7 For You. It doesn’t matter if you use it as a sermon resource, or for personal study, you will benefit greatly from this incredibly helpful resource.

Question: What is your favorite book of the New Testament? Which book of the New Testament do you find hardest to understand? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

I highly recommend that you read Romans 1-7 For You, by Timothy Keller. You can purchase it at Amazon.com in print or for Kindle. You can also purchase the additional study guide to go along with it, assisting you in your study.

I received this book free from Cross Focused Media as part of their Cross Focused Reviews blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:11-12

In last week’s passage, Paul concluded his sentence with a brief and spontaneous break into a worshipful, creed-like statement. Basically, he gave a brief summary of the gospel for which he was suffering, and for which he encouraged Timothy to stand strong. It is to this gospel that he speaks in this week’s passage.

Check it out in 2 Timothy 1:11-12:

2 Timothy 1:11-12

This is the gospel to which Paul was appointed as a messenger and an apostle. In fact, Paul refers to three different functions to which he was called by God.

  • He was appointed to be a herald. This is someone who publicly proclaims messages of importance. Paul used this word in 1 Timothy 2:7.
  • He was appointed to be an apostle. Paul’s mind was no doubt on his conversion experience on the road to Damascus, where he was called and commissioned by Christ himself. Paul stated this at the beginning of 1 Timothy, in his greeting, as well as 1 Timothy 2:7.
  • He was appointed to be a teacher. Again, Paul used this term in 1 Timothy 2:7, understanding his role to be that of a bold messenger. He knew he was appointed by God to share the gospel with as many people as possible.

From this self-description, Paul turns to his present sufferings. Paul knows why he is suffering. It is because of this gospel that he is preaching to the world. But his next statement is targeted to strengthen Timothy, who, being younger, may have been wavering in his faith because of the difficulties he was facing in the Ephesian church.

Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. This phrase is reminiscent of Romans 1:16, where Paul makes a similar statement. Paul’s unashamed attitude may actually be more of case where Paul is proud of his sufferings, and proud of the gospel that he preaches. Paul is not ashamed because he knows that the God in whom he places his trust is powerful enough to guard something very special to Paul.

The question in this passage, then, is what is this “entrusted” thing? There are two possible translations of this passage.

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Memorize Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:8-10

Paul proceeds to give Timothy some clear instructions in this week’s passage. After describing the “spirit” Timothy is to have, not one of fear and timidity, but one of power and love and self-discipline, Paul gives Timothy two clear commands, and the reasoning behind them.

You can see it for yourself in 2 Timothy 1:8-10:

2 Timothy 1:8-10

This passage begins with the word “so”, which is literally translated as “therefore.” This connects it directly back to what Paul just wrote about the spirit which was given to Timothy, and to Paul, and to us.

Paul’s statement begins with a request for Timothy’s continued faithfulness, both to Paul and to the gospel. This comes from Paul’s anguish in being imprisoned. He probably feels abandoned by many of his fellow workers and, based upon his close connection with Timothy, doesn’t want that to happen in that relationship as well.

Paul is suffering. He is in prison. He may be near the end of his life. Throughout his letters, he has always closely associated his own suffering with that of Christ, whether it is physical suffering and abuse, or the humiliation of the crucifixion. In order to understand his next two commands to Timothy, we need to see them through this lens of suffering, as Paul did.

In fact, both of these commands are two sides of the same coin.